The Day is Ours
by Dire Moonstone
Summary: As Haibara Ai continues with her research, Kuroba Kaito continues with his search. I promise unexpected occurrences.
1. Memories

_I don't really think the first four chapters anything to do with the actual plot, but if you want to read them, by all means._

All characters, Detective Conan, belong to Gosho Aoyama.

--Part 1, Haibara Ai's POV, Memories--

I couldn't believe it. Another day, another case. Not only that, but the children were, once again, exposed to death. Actually, it wasn't that unbelievable, if you knew what 'normal' is to me. Despite this, I still know how horrible it is that they wander around everyday after a case, as if it was a simple theft case that he solved.

I yawned, rubbing my eyes against the bright screen of the computer, breaking out of my musings. I reached over groggily to some papers by the computer, knocking over the cold coffee Hakase had given me before he went off to bed.

I cursed under my breath with a sigh. "What luck." I hopped off my chair. I stretched, rubbing the back of my neck. "I suppose it's about time to stop, ne?" I asked myself aloud with a thankful smile.

I crossed my arms, looking at the mess. _I'm too tired. _I ignored the pleads my body made for rest and scooped up the wet papers scattered around the computer. Gathering the papers together, I spread them out so they wouldn't stick. _Hopefully I can still read the print when they dry off._

Ready for bed, I hurriedly saved everything and turned off the computer. _It's not as if I'm any closer to his cure. _Leaving the soiled papers, I took the coffee mug with me up the stairs. I yawned again, almost tripping over the steps.

My fist clenched. "This is getting annoying…" I sighed again, rubbing my temples as I cautiously made my way to the kitchen. After leaving the cup in the sink, I made my way upstairs to my room.

While walking, my mind once again wandered back to the case Kudo-kun had solved. A simple case was given to the Detective Boys--a Kamen Yaiba doll was lost at the park--but, as usual, a body happened to appear in front of us. Like the 'hero' that he was, he had to step in and solve the case. I scoffed at his insensibility.

Was I always exposed to death the way those children are? When I was eight—the first time I was eight—was death following me around every corner? True, there was an invisible hold on me when I was young, but I never actually saw a dead body until I came back to Japan.

But then I remember the reason my childhood was free of detectives and murders. Oneesan. I smiled fondly at the thought of my older sister. I closed my eyes, letting go of my memories. Had my mind actually wandered off so far that I hadn't even noticed I was atop the staircase?

"Well," I laughed to myself, passing an open window at my left. _I suppose what's done is done…can't be helped. _

I brushed my hair back with my hand continued on my journey to my bed. I lied on the cold sheets with little expression and even less concern. I yawned once more, before closing my eyes, memories of the day and oneesan still clouded in my head.

--End Part 1, Memories--

Let's try it on for size, shall we?


	2. Temp Job

All Characters, Magic Kaito, belong to Gosho Aoyama

--Part II Kaito's POV, Temp Job--

"Hey, have you been getting enough sleep?" Aoko whispered to me during class Thursday afternoon.

"Huh?" I asked, faking confusion, "'Course I am! Heh. Honestly, Aoko what do you think of me?" With that, I rested my head on my desk.

"Kaito…" she threatened, startling me enough to lift up my head to see her narrowed eyes. Her face became more concerned when she said, "Look, if it's your new temp job, don't you think you should give it a rest?" She said it in such a pleading voice that I couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Aoko," I said, getting up from my desk, looking her straight in the eye, "I'm fine, honestly." I got my book bag and headed towards the door.

"Kuroba-kun, where do you think you're going?" I heard my teacher ask me. I stopped, still facing the closed door and held up three fingers. "_Three_?" Then two fingers. "_Two_?" By this time, I felt the whole classes' eyes on me. Then, I left just my pointer finger up. "_One_?" They said in unison. At that moment the dismissal bell rang.

I looked over at me teacher with a cheeky grin. "Class dismissed?"

"Er, yes. Class dismissed." She said, embarrassed. I walked out the door, casually.

"Kaito!" I heard Aoko through the hallway. "Wait up!" I stopped and she began to walk with me, in silence. We continued that way until we made it to her house.

"Kaito…" she looked at me sadly with those bright blue eyes of hers.

"I'm fine." I smiled earnestly. "Really." Aoko looked down--and it wasn't hard to tell that she didn't believe me--and nodded, walking towards the entrance of her house.

I sighed as soon as she entered her house. "Stupid 'temp job.'" _Stupid Hakuba. It's because of him I'm so sleepy. _"Well," I yawned loudly, "I suppose what's done is done."

--End Part II, Temp Job--


	3. Haibara

All Characters, Detective Conan, Gosho Aoyama

--Part 3, Third person, Haibara--

The Detective Boys walked along the street happily, singing an upbeat song. "Come on, Ai-chan!" Ayumi said blissfully, "Sing with us!"

Ai smiled but shook her head, no. "That's okay," Ayumi said, unfazed, and continued on with her singing.

_As usual, they fail to ask Kudo-kun if he would sing along. _She looked over at Conan who was throwing his soccer ball up in the air with a serious look on his face.

"Wh-what?" Conan asked, continuing to toss the ball.

"Nothing," Ai said, closing her eyes with a mischievous smile across her face. "So," she began, "I heard that Kaitou KID got away Wednesday night. Why weren't you there to 'stop' him, Tantei-san?"

"Tch," Conan frowned, catching his ball, "Ba-ro! How could I have possibly gone to Nerima during the school week? Besides, that English detective Hakuba Saguru, was there. Isn't he enough?"

"He's nothing compared to you, Edogawa-kun." She winked at an annoyed shrunken detective.

"Yeah, right…" He continued tossing the ball.

The rest of the Detective Boys waved to their 'elders,' "Let's play! Yeah, toss the ball this way, Conan-kun! I want to be on his team!"

"Are you going to be the referee again, Haibara?" Conan asked, as he kicked the ball towards the excited children.

"I suppose," Ai answered back with a shrug. She walked silently to the sidelines of the field. The children didn't actually need a referee; Conan was always on the case. It wasn't exactly like Ai was volunteering to play with them, anyway. Ayumi would never have it if Ai was left alone to watch after Hakase while the others played.

Ai sat down on one of the benches, placing her elbow on the arm rest, and propping her head on her hand. _I should've brought a book, _she thought with a sigh.

Before Haibara Ai knew it, her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

--End Part 3, Haibara--

Yes


	4. Kuroba

All Characters, Magic Kaito, Gosho Aoyama

--Part 4, Third person, Kuroba--

"Eh? You got another temp job? Exactly how much are you getting paid for each of these, hm?" an annoyed Nakamori Aoko asked her friend, Kuroba Kaito, as they walked out of a fast food restaurant.

"Geez, Aoko, can you be louder? It's bad enough the school barely allows me to get a job." Kaito responded, equally annoyed. In actuality, Kaito didn't get paid for his jobs, seeing as how he was never officially hired. He just assumed the role of an average employee to get prepared for his, er, night job.

"Well, I'm glad you got to rest up. I was really getting worried about you." Aoko looked at Kaito with a relieved smile, causing him to abruptly stop.

"You know I don't like you to worry about me." Kaito said in his most sincere voice, with a small grin on his face.

"Ka-Kaito…" Aoko whispered, blushing slightly. There was some distance between the two childhood friends. A light breeze passed over them.

"Kyaa!" Make that a strong wind. Aoko quickly pushed her skirt back down.

Kaito covered his mouth, "Aoko…" he snickered, "purple doesn't fit you."

"Kaito-you!" And with that, the young girl began chasing her friend.

Eventually they both got tired—Aoko more than Kaito--and decided to sit down for a while. "That was fantastic, Aoko," Kaito sighed out cheekily.

"Really, Kaito, it's like you like me chasing after you." Aoko managed to breathe out.

Aoko was, in fact, Kaito's favorite chaser. The main difference between Aoko and the other girls that chased after Kaito during his night job, was that Aoko had real love in her heart. That and, in Kaito's eyes, Aoko was the loveliest girl he had ever seen.

So far.

--End Part 4, Kuroba--


	5. Let's Meet

Okay, now let's get moving. All Characters, both Detective Conan and Magic Kaito, Gosho Aoyama.

--Part 5, third person, Let's Meet—

_Damn that KID! He should've known never to mess with me. And in my hometown, even!_ Conan thought, on the verge of cussing up a storm. He was chasing the shadow that was the phantom thief on the elevator. _Of course there's only one elevator!_

Kaitou KID had been busy recently. And it upset the hell out of all the detectives.

Hakuba Saguru would've loved to accompany Conan. (Most likely he would've been pleased with Conan following him. But he's not the protagonist in this part. I digress.) Except for the fact that a certain _witch_ caused him to be out sick, and his 'Baaya' wouldn't allow him out, if she could help it.

Now, Hattori Heiji, he would've adored the friendly rivalry with Conan. But, like Hakuba, because of a young lady, he couldn't make it. Toyama Kazuha knows when to _put her foot down_. And how 'elegantly' she does it, I might add.

Nakamori Ginzo was on the case, but was a bit _tied up_ at the moment.

Which brings us here, with the lonely, shrunken detective, racing hectically up flights upon flights of stairs. He stops every now and again to see if the numbers of the elevator have stopped.

They have yet to cease.

It's truly a miracle that such a body as our young Detective Conan can continually strive just to stop a thief. Kudo Shinichi never paid mind to petty thefts. So why should Edogawa Conan?

While that may be true, there was always one exception to this particular characteristic of both Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi alike. International Criminal 1412, or as he is so 'lovingly' referred to as, Kaitou KID.

On this particular night, Kaitou KID was driven out by a jewel known as the Diamante de Fe. While KID had managed to get the Femante, nicknamed by the thief himself, one main obstacle stood in his way.

That's right, our remaining detective, Conan.

Conan was just close enough to un-monocle KID. However, the _diamond_ we know as Fate had other plans. For you see, at that moment, a nearby elevator opened up, revealing an escape route for KID.

"Ja!" smirked KID, running towards his exit.

"Wait!" frowned Conan, attempting to catch up. A cloud of smoke ruined Conan's view of KID. The detective had seen something the thief had failed to notice.

_Dammit!_ Conan slammed on the door with his fists. It was then that he began chasing up the stairs with all his might to catch up to KID.

_I'm coming, Haibara!_

--end Part 5, Let's Meet--

I do so love puns, don't you?


	6. I'm Coming

All characters, both Detective Conan and Magic Kaito, belong to Gosho Aoyama.

--Part 6, Third Person, I'm Coming—

"Ja!" smirked KID, running towards his exit.

"Wait!" frowned Conan, attempting to catch up. KID released a small bomb, causing a cloud of smoke to ruin Conan's view of KID.

With this small distraction, KID was able to make it in the elevator and quickly close the door. "Top floor, of course," he said to himself, snickering in an evil fashion, as he heard bangs on the door of the elevator.

"Bravo, KID." A small voice said from the corner of the elevator.

_No…way…_A bit of fear went through the Kaitou, not that he'd show it, and he looked down at the source. His mind was put at ease when he realized it was a kid, with but the height of a seven-year old.

He couldn't see her face, but she had light brown, blonde, hair. _Foreigner? _he thought, but still producing his gentleman smile. "And what's your name, Ojousan?"

The girl looked up at him, revealing native eyes. "Isn't that a question better suited towards you?"

"Oh?" _Now I recognize this kid. She's apart of Tantei-kun's group. _Kaitou leaned against a wall of the elevator, crossing his arms. "It seems we've entered a loop, Ojousan."

"It seems we have," she replied, casually. She did not look him in the eyes. Instead she calmly put her hands behind her back and stared at the door of the elevator.

This irritated Kaitou a bit. She was perhaps the only person that didn't force herself upon him, continuing to ask what his name is. Even Nakamori's daughter vied to damask the KID.

"Heh. If it will stop you from having that scary face, Haibara Ai."

"What?" He didn't even notice his lack of restraint.

"Haibara Ai," the girl looked up at the thief. "You asked of my name." She then continued to look at the door.

"I see…" he eyed the girl curiously. She wasn't any normal girl, he knew that much. "What are you doing?"

Ai pressed a button on the elevator. "There haven't been enough cases," she looked up at the thief, "and he can use the exercise." She continued to look aimlessly at the walls.

_S-scary…_thought KID with a smirk. "How do you know he's chasing us?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Of course he's chasing us. You know Edogawa-kun." Ai sighed, "He always has to rescue the day and save the 'damsel'," her eyes looked into the thief's, "right?"

"Well," the thief laughed, pushing off the wall, "I wouldn't consider myself a 'damsel,' per say."

The girl rolled her eyes and looked away, but the thief could've sworn he saw a small smile on her unmoving face. _Heh. _Kaitou thought, _She is just a kid, she probably just doesn't want to admit it. One of those 'I'm all grown up' types. _

Meanwhile, Conan was but two floors from the top when he realized the elevator was going down. _The hell is he trying to pull?!_, he thought angrily deciding to rest before continuing to run upstairs. _He won't escape by the entrance in the front, anyway. _

"Escape through the front entrance," the little girl mumbled.

"Did you say something, Ojousan?" the Kaitou asked, looking curiously at the girl.

"You're a thief that uses flight to escape, correct?" with a nod from the thief, she continued, "Most likely that predictable detective will figure you're not going to use the front door." Kaitou tilted his head. "Therefore, once we reach our stop, after pressing the top floor's button, you get off." With an evil smile, she repeated, "Escape through the front entrance."

"Interesting…" Kaitou considered her advice for a second. _She's smarter than I give her credit for._

"Don't worry," she shrugged, as if reading his thoughts, "there's no way I can communicate with him from here."

KID was opened his mouth, but decided against it. The bell rang and Kaitou hopped out of the elevator. "Let's meet under different circumstances, ne, Ojousan?" KID winked with a bow, pressing the top floor button.

Once Kaitou was out of sight, and the door had closed, Ai sighed to herself.

"That was a long elevator ride."

--End Part 6, I'm Coming--

Where are you going?


	7. You're Mean

All characters, Magic Kaito, belong to Gosho Aoyama.

--Part 7, Kaito's POV, You're Mean--

"Kai-chan! Back so soon?" My mother asked me cheerfully, extending her hands out to see the treasure I managed to borrow for the night.

"Yeah," I smiled shaking my head. I took off my hat and monocle, "Unfortunately, that detective Kudo Shinichi got in my way again."

"Eh?" she sighed, taking my hat.

"But don't worry, Kaachan! It wasn't what I was looking for."

The sparkle returned to her eyes, "Well, that's good! If you're hungry, I left a plate for you on the kitchen table. I'm not sure if it's still warm or not…"

"Thanks, Kaachan!" I said kissing her on the cheek, and stepping into the portrait. She really worries about me too much. I'm not sure who worries more, Kaachan or Aoko. But I suppose if Aoko knew the truth, she wouldn't allow me to leave the house.

_"KAITO! You can't go tonight! The police are going to get you, and Hakuba-kun is going to be there and…."_ I'd never hear the end of it.

Kaachan, however, is more lenient. She can trust me, and I can always trust her with the truth. (Tantei-kun's secret is safe with me, though. His is not my secret to tell.) No matter how late, no matter what date, Kaachan always waits for me at home with open arms. I almost hate to leave. I did take the former job of her husband. The job he took and caused his death. She really worries about me too much.

After putting my equipment away, I changed into my pajamas, and stepped out of the painting of Kaitou KID, transforming it back into a picture of Kuroba Toichi.

"'Night, Oyaji," I said to the magician's picture, heading down to the kitchen. No doubt Kaachan went to bed already. I smile at the plate she wrapped up for me, "Thanks." I check the time. _It's only one in the morning? Hmm…I did come back home early._

I took my plate with cold food—Kaachan can't wait on me all night—back up-stairs to my room and turned on the TV. "Let see if there's any news." No doubt, no matter what time, the news stations will always cover the Amazing Kaitou KID.

I grinned widely, swallowing my food, as I found the news' station, _"…and he escaped, but without the Diamante de Fe. In a related story, the boy genius, Edogawa Conan-kun, allowed Nichiuri TV an interview."_ I frowned, stuffing more food in my mouth.

"_Edogawa-kun, this isn't the first encounter you've had with KID, is it?"_ The footage showed an interviewer asking him. I picked up the volume.

He shook his head, smiling broadly, _"Nope! I've met him a few times before this!"_

_Hmm… He's a really good actor. Either that or he's dumber than he seems._ I thought, laughing at the possibility of another slow-minded detective. No offense to Keibu.

_"What do you think of Kaitou KID-sama, Edogawa-kun?" _she asked, putting the microphone to his mouth.

_"He's a really bad guy because he steals!"_ Tantei-kun frowned. Just like a child.

_"Oh-ho!" _The interviewer laughed, _"Well, there you have it, the--"_

I turned off the TV, shaking my head. "I'm glad that wasn't a long interview." I got up with my empty plate, "If it were, he probably would've been forced to make Kamen Yaiba references, no doubt."

I began washing the plate, thinking of that girl that let me escape. _You've got to be kidding, me!_ I thought, angrily, drying the plate. _I actually forgot her name!_

After putting up the plate, I began going to my room. _Shoot!_ I scratched my head with a yawn. I could still see her face; bright, but sad, green-blue eyes, short, blonde hair, an evil no one could compare with in her very smirk.

I flopped on my bed, with another yawn. Before completely closing my eyes, I thought, _Where **does** he find these friends from, anyway?_

--end Part 7, You're Mean--

I was unable to collect enough information about Mrs. Kuroba during her first and, er, final appearance.


	8. She Really Worries

All characters, Detective Conan, belong to Gosho Aoyama

--Part 8, Ai's POV, She Really Worries--

"You're mean, Haibara!" He whined. He can be a real child even when he doesn't mean to.

"What, you're complaining so early in the morning, Edogawa-kun?" I said with a smile, as I sat down on my desk next to his. Today, Kobayashi-sensei has allowed us to group up for a project.

"Of course!" He sneered, at me from behind Hakase's faux glasses. "You did let KID get away last night."

"Oh, really?" I said, faking ignorance. "I happen to know for a fact that Edogawa Conan-kun got the jewel before Kaitou KID-san escaped."

"Heh, heh," he faked a laugh, "Don't act so cool."

"It's natural," I countered with a smirk.

"What're you guys talking about?" Yoshida-chan asked

"Yeah, we're supposed to be working on this poster!" Kojima-kun heartily agreed.

"I'm sure they're just discussing the project, right, Haibara-san?" Tsuburaya-kun asked me with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah, Edogawa-kun was just saying how we should add borders along here." I said, humoring him.

"Yeah, yeah!" Kudo-kun laughed, nervously. "Ayumi-chan, will you hand me the glue?"

The day went on with cutting, pasting, and the occasional snacking. But mostly by Kojima-kun. Of course, from the corner of my eyes, I could see Kudo-kun looking at me questionably. As much as he tried to keep busy with the work in front of him, his eyes couldn't help but wander off to the window.

"A-re? It's sprinkling outside…" Conan acknowledged.

"So it is…" I hardly looked up.

"Wah! It's raining harder!" Yoshida-chan jumped from her chair and ran to the window, causing all other students to join in the excitement.

_You just had to point it out, didn't you, Tantei-san?_ I could see him shrug with a regretful grin.

"Now, now, class!" Kobayashi-sensei clapped her hands in an attempt to get the children's attention. I can't seem to understand how she keeps a calm, smiling face during these situations.

"Hai!" they said listlessly. "Ano, sensei? Does this mean we won't go outside for fifth period?" One of my classmates asked resulting in gasps from the rest of the class. I noticed one particular student of Kobayashi-sensei that was almost heartbroken at this realization.

"I'm afraid not." The class groaned in unison.

"And I was ready to play some soccer."

Will he ever get tired of playing soccer? Although, to be fair, I was going to fake illness and work on possible cures for the poison. Well, I suppose now I'll have more time for that.

Before the bell rang, Kobayashi-sensei said, "I want everyone to meet back here for fifth period so we can continue our project, okay?"

"Yes, sensei!"

As soon as we left the classroom, the Detective Boys sighed. "Why do we have to continue doing this project? It's not like it's a new subject we're covering. Don't worry, we're almost done with our project. And when we are, we can have more free time!" Their sighs turned into cheers at the prospect of extra time.

Extra time…we can all use that… 

"Oi! Lighten up!" he told me, "I thought you liked the rain?"

I looked up in his eyes. It amazed me at times how hopeful he was, despite everything that's happened to him.

"Yeah," I mumbled, "it does bring change…"

--end Part 8, She Really Worries—


	9. The Rain

--Part 9, Third Person, The Rain—

When rain is rare or even out of the blue, it is sometimes seen as a true miracle.

This wasn't the case for Nakamori Aoko.

"How convenient…" Aoko mumbled to herself with a pout. Not only had the impromptu rain fallen on Teitan Elementary, but on Ekoda High School as well.

She continued working on the math problems she had in front of her. Where was Kaito's ill-behavior when Aoko needed it most?

She turned to face her friend on the other side of the room. He had a puzzled face as he stared at his paper. _These problems aren't that hard…_Aoko thought as she looked back on paper again. Her own paper had only about three problems left unfinished with at least twenty minutes still left of class.

She scanned the room and noticed that Hakuba Saguru--who had just returned from bed rest due to a mysterious illness—had already completed his worksheet and started reading the homework assigned for that day.

Koizumi Akako had also flown through her work as if it were a simple project assigned to first graders and was staring off into space. If her eyes didn't seem like they were on fire, you would think she was just a normal teenage girl.

Aoko frowned at her work. She thought again, _These problems aren't that hard. _She looked back at her best friend. Kaito had his eyes closed with a concentrated frown. _Why is Kaito thinking so hard about these?_

"Nakamori-chan?" Kaito opened his eyes and looked at the teacher standing over Aoko's desk. "Is there a problem?"

"Ah, no problem, sir." Aoko smiled at her teacher and looked back at her paper to finish the last few problems on the page.

_Eh?_ Kaito paid closer attention to his friend. "Aoko…doesn't usually space out…" he muttered to himself. _I'll have to see what's wrong after class. But for now…_ Kaito looked down at his completed test, _I have to remember the name of that kid…_

Kaito began to smirk angrily: it wasn't like him to forget a detail like this but…_ There was something about that girl's eyes. _Kaito's smirk turned into a full-on grin.

_Haibara Ai, right?_ Kaito reached inside his pocket. _I may not have stolen the _Femante_--not that I needed it_ (Kaito frowned)_ —but I did get a way to contact that girl, easy enough. _

Now it was Kuroba Kaito's turn to have a teacher standing over his desk. "Cheating, Kuroba-kun?"

Kaito laughed, "Of course not! Just practicing." Kaito beamed suspiciously, causing his teacher to slowly walk backwards.

"C-carry on…" he said, feeling back as to not bump into any desks.

A majority of the class had to snicker at Kaito's antics. Even Hakuba couldn't help but break into a smile. Kaito turned to Aoko who was smiling sweetly.

She gave silent claps his way as he nodded his head in a bow, mouthing, "Thank you, thank you."

_I'm glad my friend is feeling better. _Both Aoko and Kaito thought, with doubt still in their minds.

--End Part 9, The Rain--

It's not much, I know and it seems to be going nowhere but...I can't finish that sentence.


	10. Noble

All characters, Detective Conan, belong to Gosho Aoyama.

--Part 10, Haibara Ai's POV, Noble--

I let out a sigh of relief. I let out a _loud_ sigh of relief. The children turned toward me, worry written all over their face.

"Are you alright, Ai-chan?" Yoshida-san was the first to speak up.

"Do you feel sick?" Tsuburaya-kun asked, eyes wide and full of fear. Oblivious to the others' concern, Kojima-kun suggested, "Maybe she's hungry?"

Ignoring their comments, I could feel Kudo-kun frowning in my direction. I gave them a child's smile, "I'm just glad we were able to finish our project before school was over."

The Detective Boys nodded in agreement. "Did you hear sensei?" said Tsuburaya-kun, color returning to his face. "She might put it up on the writing board for Parent's Day!"

"She really liked the ribbon I decorated the corners with!" Kojima-kun proclaimed.

"Genta-kun!" Tsuburaya-kun and Yoshida-san said in unison. They gave him an ugly glare.

"I mean, the ribbon _we_ decorated the corners with!"

I shook my head with a smile. They're impossible.

As if he read my mind, Kudo-kun turned to me and rolled his eyes. Not even the great detective could help but smirk at our friends' antics.

"So," he whispered in a voice I could hardly make out, "what were you sighing about?"

"The poster…" I didn't meet his eyes, but looked out the window.

"Huh? Really?" he stuttered. "Why?"

Before I could answer, the bell decided to ring. "Have a safe weekend, children!" Kobayashi-sensei announced, receiving cheers from the class. I got up from my chair but was stopped by Kudo-kun's grip on my wrist.

"Haibara…?" he frowned. His worry almost scares me sometimes. I didn't think an investigator, and a high school one, at that, could have so much concern for the well being of a retired-enemy.

"I didn't like the color scheme." I turned away from his gaze, pulling away from his hold.

"Is Ai-chan going home by herself?" I could hear Yoshida-san ask.

I hadn't had a walk by myself since Hakase had gotten lost in the new mini-mall. Knowing that if I didn't take my chance, the children would catch up to me, I walked into the nearest classroom.

I looked around, adjusting my eyes to the darkness in what I recognized as the music room. I leaned against the door and slid down to a sitting position. A flash erupted in the room. Just lightening…it's still raining. With that thought, I regretted my actions.

I clenched a fist and put it to my forehead. I had forgotten my umbrella. I was too tired from the night before that I had barely remembered to change from my pajamas. What had been clear in my mind that morning was the run-in I had with Kaitou KID the night before.

I scoffed, "To take advice from a child…" _To be fair, he was trying to _escape_ from a child_, another voice in my head popped.

"I suppose." I got up and walked toward the window. Although it wasn't furious, the rain splashed against the glass. I rested my arms on the sill. I tried to get lost in my thoughts as I stared into my own eyes. As smooth as the thief had been the night before, it seemed as if he didn't notice my slipping _that_ into his pocket.

He's an actor of good quality, nonetheless.

As I saw the water coming from the sky become lighter, I turned on my heels. I sighed once again, knowing the day was definitely over. I'd still have to face the drizzling, the big deal Hakase would make of me coming home soaking wet, not to mention the reprimand I would receive from Kudo-kun…

"At least the day is over." I exhaled, closing the door behind me.

"Haibara-san!" I heard Kobayashi-sensei yell from down the hall. She jogged toward me.

"Sensei?" When she walked up to me, she was out of breath.

"I've been looking everywhere for you. They wanted me to give this to you," she beamed, handing out an umbrella.

"'They'?"

"The Detective Boys, of course!" she exclaimed.

"Oh. Thank you." I accepted the object. "Have a nice weekend, sensei." I gave her a sincere smile and walked in the direction of the exit.

With a quick inspection, I decided the umbrella would do, all things considered.

_Must he always be noble?_

--End part 10, Noble--

I'm tired. /smiley face/


	11. Expressions

All characters, Magic Kaito/Detective Conan, belong to Gosho Aoyama.

--Part 11, Kuroba Kaito's person POV, Expressions--

Everything was going well after class; Aoko finished her test with high marks (as did I), I remembered that girl's name (_How strange that I ever forgot._), and Aoko, Keiko-chan, and I were walking home. Everything was fine. That is, until…

"Ne, Kaito? Did you remember your umbrella?"

"U-umbrella…?" Aoko's spontaneous question startled me. She wouldn't normally interrupt Keiko-chan during her stories. In all honesty, I did forget my umbrella at home. _I shouldn't let her find out how unnerved I am._

"What's this?" I asked, leaning closer to her face. "Are you really that troubled over me, Aoko-_chan_?"

"B-baka!" she said, her face growing scarlet. _I love her expressions! _"Your mom wanted to make sure! I was just doing as she said!" She turned away and faced Keiko, "Although I don't _particularly _like the subject you are discussing, please continue, Keiko."

"Where was I…?" _As if Aoko never spoke. _"Sou! Then, in the fanfic, Noko-chan is greeted by none other than KID-sama, himself!"

_Who writes that stuff?_

"Isn't ssonoko1412 a terrific writer!?"

_That answers my question. _

"I have to admit, her plots are romantic…"Aoko acknowledged. _So she's into that kind of stuff, I guess. _Sometimes I forget Aoko is just a teenage girl.

"Kuroba-kun!" _Ah, that _other_ which I can't remember is a teenage girl._

I stopped walking, "I'll catch up to you later, Aoko!"

"Eh?" she nodded as I walked over to…

"What is it, now, Akako-san?" I asked the witch, no attempt to hide my scowl. Most of my conversations involved…

"How did the heist go? Was it easier without Hakuba?" /_Sigh\…figures. Can't she just have a normal conversation with me?_

"I don't know; I didn't get to see the heist." I answered, inattentively.

She leaned closer. _Her eyes seem more sly than usual. _"I hear you're going to steal something else this weekend. Busy schedule, ne?"

"I told you--!"

"All right." Akako-san brought up her hands in defeat, "Do as you please!" She began walking away, laughing haughtily.

I had to smile at her twisted kindness. "My friend says 'thanks.'" I heard her laughter come to an end as I left her in the hallway of the school.

As I continued down the hall, I heard a distressed voice. "_Ai-chan! Where are you?!_"

'_Ai-chan'? _I stopped in my tracks, _Where is that coming from? _The voice sounded high, young and muffled, but close by. Close enough to be…

"In my pocket?" I reached in, taking out a Detective Boys' badge only to be greeted by a deep (and loud), "_Haibara-san! We're going on ahead without you!_" A higher voice added, "_Conan-kun left his umbrella with Sensei for you._"

_Tantei-kun's friends? _I turned the thing over in my hand and turned it off. _Heh. At least I know it works properly. _I stuffed the "Ai-chan's" pin in my pocket and continued on.

By the time I had reached the exit, the rain had gotten heavier and could be heard through the walls of the building. _Kuso. Of all the times to forget an umbrella. _I took a gulp: _I guess I'll spend this weekend being sick._

"I've been waiting for you!" a voice chirped from behind me.

"A-Aoko?" _How did she…_

"Of course I knew you forgot your umbrella! I'm your best friend aren't I?" Aoko smiled sweetly. _How I love her expressions…_ "Here!" she brought the umbrella over my head.

"Thanks," I sort of muttered, taking hold of the shared umbrella. She sure can put me in my place, whether she realizes it or not. "So," I coughed, "what're you doing this weekend?"

"Hmm…"she thought, "I don't have any plans. Why?" Her eyes narrowed, "Are you asking me out, Kaito-_kun_?"

"B-baka!" this time she got me, "I just feel like we need to relax, you know?"

"Let's watch a Furuhata Megumi movie!" she suggested cheerfully. "Although her tastes are questionable, she's a terrific actress!"

I was a bit offended to say the least. _Considering I _am _the 'questionable taste.'_

But I let it slide, "Actually, I was thinking of a vacation of sorts."

"Vacation?" she looked down, considering it. "I don't see why not. I'll have to ask Touchan, but yeah!"

"Then it's settled," I announced, "We'll leave city for the weekend. As long as it's anywhere away from water."

Aoko sighed with a smile on her face, "You do realize we live on an island, right? It can't be helped."

"Fine," I rolled my eyes playfully. "Whatever you say, ojousan!"

Once we reached her house, the rain stopped. Aoko took her umbrella from me, "Call me later tonight so we can get our plans settled, okay?" She gently shook the water off.

"Okay." I agreed watching as she giggled and ran to her doorsteps.

I looked up the sky. It was a little humid, but with the rain had come a cool breeze.

_How serendipitous…_

--End part 10, Expressions--

/Sigh/ Procrastinating is fun!


	12. Bickering

All characters, Detective Conan, belong to Gosho Aoyama.

--Part 12, third person POV, Bickering--

"Taa-da! It's my brand new invention: one day hair color!"

Ai took the bottle of formula from the professor and studied it. _How curious. _

"Hakase…why would anyone want to buy hair dye that only lasts a day?" Conan asked.

"You never know, especially with women," Ai answered, handing over the bottle to Conan for inspection. "Maybe a lady wants to have an affair without any problems. Change of makeup, a pseudonym, and different hair color would ensure no loose ends." She smirked viciously at the shrunken-detective.

"Well, isn't that a pessimistic view on this?" Conan asked sarcastically, eyes narrowed, one eyebrow up, throwing the bottle to Agasa-hakase.

"As compared to yours? Which was--"

"Now, now." Agasa brought his hands up to stop the teenagers' bickering. "Interesting question you brought up, Shinichi. And thank you, Ai-kun for your, ah, interpretation. Actually, I invented it in mind of, perhaps, those which have a reunion, or something of that matter, and want to, say, impress others, if only for one night."

The children turned to each other, sharing a taunting smile. Ai got up from the couch and began walking to the kitchen, "I'll watch the house while you're gone."

"Thank you," the doctor said in a voice soaked with guilt and embarrassment. "I'll get packing!" Ai walked back in the room, dodging the older man, almost spilling her and Conan's drinks.

Conan chuckled at his former neighbor racing up the stairs. "Haibara," he turned toward the older girl, "why don't you take a vacation, too?" He took a drink from his glass.

At first, Ai was about to point out how horrible Conan's idea was, but then, gave it more thought. Setting her cup down, she said, "I suppose it couldn't hurt. And actually, I'm getting further ahead in the research; I've almost got a trial pack complete."

"Perfect!" Conan smiled broadly, teeth and all. _He seems really eager for me to leave. _"How about you visit Hattori and--"

"Wait." Ai interrupted, "Why exactly did you propose this, Kudo-kun?"

When the boy didn't answer her, Ai walked over to the television, eyeing Conan suspiciously. "Wh-what are you doing?" He asked nervously.

"Relax. I'm just going to check on the current events."

"No!" Conan ran to beat Ai, "There's nothing important on T.V., I'm sure." He covered the T.V. screen with his body.

Ai smiled, reaching out behind him, grabbing the remote and turning on the box.

"—_set to arrive at 2:15 Monday morning, authorities say. Fans are already lining up, ready to see their kaitou in his attempt to steal another priceless jewel. In other news…_"

Ai gave Conan a disapproving look. "This is why you wanted me to leave?"

Conan began to feel horrible for ostracizing his friend, "I'm sorry, okay…" Then he remembered the reason he didn't want Ai to catch wind of the thief's new goal. "But it's only because you let him escape last time! Not only that, but you put yourself in danger!"

"So you were worried about me?" Ai asked heatedly. "I don't need your protection. Especially not from some less than memorable thief that can't even escape the grasps of some half-rate detective!"

Before Ai was able to storm off, Conan grabbed hold of her shoulder. "Whether you like it or not, you know you need me just as much as I need you. Even if I am just some 'half-rate' detective."

Ai smiled sadly, turning to face Conan, knowing what he said was true. "I'm sorry."

"Please," Conan smiled back, "this time, don't interfere. I don't know what I'd do if he came back to harm you."

"I should go pack too, if I'm planning to get away this weekend." She turned to leave, "If anything, he won't harm me." Conan was left downstairs to reflect over what Ai had said.

When Ai reached her bedroom upstairs, she could hear Agasa say, "He can trust you."

Ai sighed, "I know, but…" _He really worries about me. _

_Too much. _

--End Part 12, Bickering--

I actually completed this before starting Part 11.


	13. It's About Time

_Shoot, it's been too long. Either I've gotten lazy or my true priorities have caught up to me. Regardless, I shall try and continue._

All characters, Magic Kaito, belong to Gosho Aoyama.

--Part 13, Kaito's POV, It's About Time—

"Where have you been? We were supposed to meet up a long time ago, you know? I swear it seems as though I've been waiting since July of last year…" Aoko pouted, arms crossed, facing away from me, disappointment soaking her statement.

"Yes, yes, I understand!" I sighed, worn out from the long run to the train station. What poor luck I had that I would disregard the time on my alarm clock. Several times. "Please, will you find it in your infinite heart to forgive me?" I bowed as far down as my back would allow.

"Well," Aoko considered, "I suppose it's all right," she snickered. "Now get your head up!" I could tell of the slight embarrassment in her voice. She was never one to accept someone's humility, regardless of how close that someone was to her.

"So…?" She asked.

"'So…'?" I muttered, confused in her simplistically complex question.

"Where are we going?" She growled, exasperated from my (unknowingly) obnoxious question.

"Ah!" I exclaimed fearfully. I mean, first I come to our meeting spot late (I know it's going to be hard to gain her trust back) and I didn't even tell her where we're going. What a horrible gentleman I've turned out to be. Although this does remind me of that time—

"Kaito!" Aoko cried out. "Mao, keep your head straight!"

"Ah, yeah," I laughed nervously. "Actually, I was thinking we could go somewhere…secret?"

"Secret?" she asked with puzzlement. Heh, any other girl would've been suspicious. That's where Aoko's different. Anything and everything she does is with earnest. A trait of hers that I am glad is expressed. (Not to mention I appreciate her patience.)

"Yeah, I have a place in mind but I want to keep it hush. There are so many options; you will never be certain of where we can go. It'll be fun!" I coerced her.

Aoko looked at me warily, "I don't know, Kaito…" I gave her my most pleading face. "I suppose," she smirked, "if it's a trip with you, I won't help but find myself having fun."

"Of course," I laughed nervously. I'm sure she doesn't realize it, but Aoko knows exactly what to say to make heat rise to my face. It's a pleasure for my company to be of interest to her. (Maybe I'm not that bad at being a gentleman, ne?)

"So what exactly are we to do during this 'secret vacation?'" Aoko asked, picking up her bags and pointing to a train that came by our way.

I shook my head and smiled, "It wouldn't be a secret if I told you now." I nodded to a nearby bench. "I promise our destination won't be far, but…" I hesitated for dramatic effect. I felt her burning gaze.

"I also promise unexpected occurrences."

She laughed hardily, "Baka, Kaito. How can something unexpected be promised?"

Damn, she's right. "Well, I don't know," I threw myself down on the bench. "With me, isn't there usually an impromptu situation? You should expect as much."

Aoko considered this as she walked toward the bench. Gently shaking her head, Aoko sat close beside me, "With you, Kaito?" She closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder. "Anything—everything is possible," she concluded with a yawn.

How long had she been waiting, exactly? I checked my watch.

Has it really been since last July…?

--End Part 13, It's About Time--

_I know it's unfortunately short (with shots at myself). Well, with my writing, it's not that unfortunate. But hey, I updated, finally. And I'm working on part fourteen as we speak!!_


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